Nursery ratio calculator
Enter the children in a room or the whole building and see how many staff the EYFS ratios in England ask for. For nurseries and pre-schools; childminders work to a different rule.
How it is worked out
Each age group is divided by its ratio: children under two by 3, two-year-olds by 5, three and over by 8, or by 13 in a group where someone with QTS, EYTS or EYPS is working directly with them. The shares are added together and rounded up to whole members of staff.
The ratios are the EYFS minimums for group and school-based providers in England from 1 September 2026 (paragraphs 3.48 to 3.54). They are a minimum, not a target, and the qualification rules apply as well as the head count.
The rules behind it, with sources: Nursery ratios in England: every EYFS ratio by age
Questions we get asked
Do ratios apply per room or across the whole nursery?
Across the whole provision. The EYFS counts the total number of staff available to work directly with children, not each room. Every child still has to be supervised and have their needs met.
Does one teacher put the whole nursery on 1:13?
No. 1:13 applies to the three-and-overs that a person with QTS, EYTS or EYPS is working directly with. A second teacher does not lower the ratio further, but can lead a second 1:13 group.
How do you work out ratios for a mixed-age room?
Divide each age group by its ratio, add the results and round up. Two children under two, seven two-year-olds and four three-year-olds come to 0.67 + 1.4 + 0.5 = 2.57, so three staff.
Do staff on a break count in ratio?
No. Someone on a break is not available to work directly with children. Cover can come from elsewhere in the building, as long as the qualification mix still holds.
Are the ratios the same in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. These are the EYFS ratios for England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own.
The register is a tap per child, so who is in each room is on the room’s device all day.
Staff mark each child in and out as they arrive and leave, from the device in the room. Absences, reasons and follow-up calls sit with the register, and parents see their child’s day in one message at teatime.
Try it free with one child